Pretty
by kasuria
Summary: In that moment, Drew realized that May, without a doubt, was the most beautiful person to ever cluelessly stumble into his life. Contestshipping oneshot.


He had always thought she was pretty.

When she had missed that Frisbee from the beach he would kick her off of, he thought nothing more of her than a rookie not knowing what she was getting herself into. One with no style, who apologized so innocently to him that he _almost_ felt bad at how he'd crush her at the contest he knew she was entering. Letting her temper flare childishly, he shrugged her off with a smirk as he watched in amusement the way her face got all red. He couldn't help but snicker to himself as she stormed away, thinking she was rather cute all flustered like that.

When she stumbled through her contest appeal and he left her on stage looking as though she were about to cry, he thought she would give up on contests for good. But as he walked away, she had run after him when it was over and said that she would be stronger next time. The way her eyes caught the sun, they had this _spark_ to them—that something had lit inside of her. As he spun on his heel to leave, he couldn't help but think that she happened to have rather pretty eyes, wondering why he hadn't noticed before the pretty blue color they were.

When she stood on stage and accepted her very first ribbon, the spotlight lit her up like a star that had fallen from the sky. She was glowing, her Pokémon beside her, as she beamed down at the ribbon he didn't win. It had been luck, he thought simply. While he was impressed with her enthusiasm, he couldn't say the same was true for her skills. She had gotten better, but she still had a long way to go if she thought she'd be anywhere near _his_ level (which he doubted she ever would be). But none of that seemed to matter in the instance he noticed just how pretty her smile was as she held her ribbon back up to the sky.

When he groggily opened his eyes, she was right above him. The way her face changed made it occur to him that she had been worried, and he dangerously wondered if this meant she cared for him like one would a friend, or maybe more. He had never thought of her as such, always thinking her to be naïve and childish—certainly no one to be taken _too_ seriously. Accepting the Wynaut's invitation to their little party only proved that further. When she danced and played with the Pokémon, though, he pursed his lips and instead realized how she had the prettiest laugh.

When it was over, and she came to him on the beach, he couldn't help but notice it was the same beach they had met on one year ago. She had lost, but so had he. As she looked at him curiously, he realized he wanted to be able to battle her again, and that for the first time he wondered how let down he'd be if he didn't see her at next year's Grand Festival. The starlight caught in her hair, and as he noticed just how pretty it was, he knew not being able to see her again would be more than just a disappointment.

When the clock had struck zero and the smoke had cleared, silence filled the stage. He had to almost do a double take when he saw the board, but he knew she would be the one in disbelief. When his eyes met hers across the field, the applause became muffled and distant. She looked unsure. Unsure if this was okay, if he was okay—if _they_ were okay. He then offered her a smile that made her shine so brightly, his loss was forgotten in that one moment as his heart skipped a beat, realizing that she was… _different _than she was before, and that she had grown prettier from how he remembered her.

When she looked up at him as she held her knees close to her chest, he noted how she wasn't the same girl who fell at her first contest two years ago. The look in her eyes had changed, and for a moment—just a moment—she had actually surpassed him. As he looked down at her, he felt honored to be her rival, and he wanted her to always be his. She would find a style that only belonged to her, and he hoped—he _knew_—she would come to Johto to be able to show it to him. And that was something he truly looked forward to.

In that moment, Drew realized that May, without a doubt, was the most beautiful person to ever cluelessly stumble into his life.

**xx****x**


End file.
